Stair-pad



(Model.)

T. S. SPERRY.

, STAIR PAD. N 363,695. Patented May 24, 1887.

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UNiTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

TIMOTHY S. SPERRY, OF BROOKLYN, NEV YORK.

STAlR-PAD.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 363,695, dated May 24, 1867.

(hIodeL) To ctZZ 1071/0717, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, TIMOTHY S. SPERRY, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Stair Pads or Cushions; and I hereby declare the following to be afull, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification.

My invention is directed to the production of a stair-pad for carpets composed of three separate and distinct parts-that is to say, a stiff base part of uniform thickness having one edge turned over to fit the edge of the step, a flexible covering secured to the edges of the base part, and an elastic body of loose material interposed bctwcen'the stiff base and the flexible covering-whereby to produce a pad for stair-carpets that shall have a stiff seating upon the step, that will form an elastic support for the carpet-,that can have its elasticity and proper shape restored when worn down, and that can be cheaply made as an article of trade.

In the drawings, Figurel representsin perspective my improved stair-pad having a rigid holding base part and a flexible tread part bound to the edges of the base part, and Fig. 2 represents in vertical section the pads as applied to two of the stain-steps with and without the carpet over it.

My improved padis made of three independent and distinct parts, each of which has a distinct function and purpose, and is so adjusted to the other that the resulting structure is a new and more perfect article than any heretofore produced for the purpose. One of these three parts-the base-forms a stiff seating for the pad upon the step and serves to retain it in a flat shape, to form a base for another part of soft or elastic loosely-placed material, and a cover of flexible material is attached to the base part so as to form a closure to retain the elastic material to give the proper shape to the pad and allow of reforming such shape when worn down, these three parts being so placed and formed that two of them make a closure for the third part in the production of a perfect article of trade.

The stiff base part b is made of suitable ma boards may be conveniently employed, and one edge of this part is bent or turned over with a curve, as at d, to take over the front edge of the step and to aid in retaining the pad in position when placed under the carpet, as shown at e in Fig. 2. A covering, a, is secured to the base part, so as to form an interior space over the top surface of the base part, and it may be of any suitable cloth, netting, or other material that will form a yielding surface for the tread.

The elastic material 0 is loosely disposed in the closure formed by the cover, and it may be cotton, hair, granulated cork, chaff, shavings, jute, or any convenient materials, and these are disposed in a loose, separate, or disintegrated condition, so that when hardened by being trodden down they can be Worked or separated again to restore the necessary softness or elasticity to the pad. The elastic material may be disposed in such manner that the pad or cushion will be substantially flat; or it may be disposed so that a thickened-up part, a, will be produced near the middle of the step f, as seen in Fig. 2,and this I find produces the most satisfactory results, as it brings the greatest elasticity to that point at which the foot gcnerall y bears upon the pad.

terial to retain it in the desired flat shape, for which purpose paper-boards or thin wooden \Vhen the elastic material becomes deadened or trodden down by wear, it is only necessary to take up the pad, bend it slightly in the direction of the covering part a, shake it well, and pick or liven up the loose material by working it in any suitable way and the clasticity will be restored.

One of the objections to stairpads as heretofore made with elastic treads is that they are liable by-continuous use to become deadened or inelastic long before they are worn out, and it is one of the advantages of my improvement that by disposing the material loosely in the case prepared for it it may be worked up and its elasticity restored from time to time, as stated.

One convenient method of constructing my pad is to take a stiff paper-board, shape it at the edge to give the curved bend (Z, sew a cloth lot a suitable opening to introduce the elastic material, and after that is loosely introduced finish the sewing so that the elastic material will be retained in compact condition within the case; but I do not limit myself to this construction, as many ways may be employed in making it without departing from my invention.

The state of the art shows that stair-pads have been made of cotton felt of a soft moderately yielding and elastic character, sufiiciently rigid and stiff, however, to form a slab of unequal thickness and retain its shape, and having its front edge curved hook-like to form a lip to hook over the edge of the step; that they have been made'up of a layer of cotton or other fiber placed between a netti-ng on one side and a fabric or cloth on the other side, and the wh ole folded and stitched, and that such pads have been made of granulated cork and pulp combined, forming a composite molded sheet; but my improvement differs from these things in the particulars stated, by which the pad is formed into an elastic case having a stiifinelastic base or seating, and which gives the advantage of allowing the pad formed by said case to be re-formed with a proper shape and fullness when worn down.

My improvement is distinguished from all other stair'pads in this, that it is madeof an unyielding part, a coveri ngpart having a suitable. fullness for forming a case, and a filling of loose elastic material, and that as an elastic pad its form can be restored after being worn down by merely shaking and loosening up the case as an entirety to restore the elastic function of the loose confined material. These distinguishing features and their advantages, so far as I know and can find, are not possible in pads formed of single sheets of elastic material folded or molded.

I claim 1. As an improved article of manufacture, a stairpad consisting of a stiff base part, a covering-case part secured to the edges thereof, and a body of elastic material loosely disposed between the base and the covering part, substantially as described.

2. A stair-pad consisting of astiff base part V of uniform thickness, a covering case part having a suitable fullness attached to the edges of the base, and an interposed body of grand lated cork, substantially as described.

3. A stairpad consisting of a base part of stiff unyielding material of uniform thickness having an edge curved-lip bend, d, a fabric cover having a fullness sewed to the edges of said base part, and an interposed body of elastic material, substantially as described.

TIMOTHY S. SPERRY.

Witnesses:

AUGUSTUS T. GRULEIZ, TALLMADGE W. Fosrnn, 

